“And how shall they preach unless they are
sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach
the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (Romans
10:15, NKJV).

Key
Thought:

It is not enough for people to be trained
for evangelism and witnessing work; they must actively work for souls.

Many
church members lament the fact
that although they are prepared to attend witnessing and evangelism
training
seminars, they are not encouraged to become involved when they return
to their
home church. Consequently, many churches that are not very active in
witnessing
and evangelistic activities are unaware of the well trained people in
their
midst. Occasionally some will voluntarily offer their services, but
many others
conclude that they are either not needed or wanted. The most successful
way to
stifle member involvement in any church activity is to deny them
involvement in
areas in which they are equipped to function. It is the responsibility
of every
local church to discover where, and how, each member can contribute to
the
witnessing and evangelism strategies of the church. All who are willing
do have
a place. The key is to find that place.

This week we will explore the concept of intentionally sending
out gospel
workers and the ways in which maximum member involvement contributes to
overall
church harmony and spiritual and numerical growth.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath,
June 2.

SUNDAY

May
27

Shared
Responsibility

Many a dedicated church leader has cut short, or at best
diminished, his or
her effectiveness by unwillingness to share the ministry load with
others. This
is not a new problem generated by our fast-paced modern world. Even the
great
Old Testament leader Moses needed some help in seeing the big picture
of shared
leadership. We can learn much from his experience and the good advice
received
from his father-in-law, Jethro.

We can only guess at how long Moses would have been able to
keep up his
unrealistic work schedule. Likewise, we can only surmise as to what
extent
Moses was aware of the availability of capable helpers. What the story
does
reveal, however, is that there were many who were able and willing to
help.
Moses would need to let them become involved, delegating certain duties
of
leadership to them.

The ministry that church leaders must willingly share includes
witnessing
and evangelism. The principles of properly organized and shared
responsibility
that we glean from Moses’ experience are invaluable to our efforts to
win
souls for the kingdom.

What
significance do you see in the way
Moses chose men with
specific characteristics (vs.
21) and gave them varied degrees of
responsibility (vs.
25)? How would these principles apply to the
evangelistic strategies
of today’s churches?

It was probably the intense spiritual nature of the task of
speaking for God
that made Moses reticent to share his responsibilities. We, too, sense
the
awesome responsibility of talking to people about God and speaking for
God. Our
witnessing and evangelism is serious business. We are mindful that
eternal
lives are at stake. And while this would, and should, cause us to be
careful as
to how we proceed, we must be ever willing to involve everyone in
outreach and
evangelism.

Read again Exodus
18:21, 22. Notice that the newly appointed leadership made
their ministry
of the leaders available at all times. Thus, we should always be ready
to give
an answer for the hope that is within us.

MONDAY

May
28

Risking
for Success

Members of Seventh-day Adventist churches have tremendous
ministry
potential. Many are enthusiastic about involvement in their church’s
evangelism strategies, however those in leadership are sometimes
reticent to
let them get involved. Behind this “only professionals can do it”
mind-set is the fear that church members may do or say something wrong,
causing
people to turn away from Christ and His church. Sadly this resistance
to member
involvement is so ingrained that it prevails even when people have been
adequately trained for a ministry. The Holy Spirit and the promises He
brings
aren’t just for the leaders; they are for all who are willing to
surrender in faith and submission to the Lord, to all who are willing
to deny
self and work for the salvation of others.

What
principle taught by Jesus
in Matthew
7:17, 18 should allay the fears of concerned leaders? How do
we distinguish
between good and bad fruit, and how should the church leadership as a
whole be
involved in this process? Also how do we do this without judging others?

If every sound tree bears good fruit, church leaders should
focus on growing
sound trees. As with everything that has to do with our response to the
gospel
call, we must first be someone for Jesus before we can successfully do
things
for Him. If we give adequate attention to the leading of people into a
meaningful and deepening relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit will
ensure
that they bear the right fruit. Our part is to lead, teach, and train.
God’s part is to bless their ministry. We need to trust them and God.
If
we give adequate attention to spiritual growth and practical skills, we
can
trust people to produce the right fruit of evangelistic success.
Certainly,
there may be an element of risk depending on the ministry undertaken
and the
level of training, but we must remember that even the disciples, who
had the
greatest Teacher ever, never won every soul to which they appealed.

Have you ever felt that your gifts and talents
were not appreciated? What might be the cause? Look inside yourself and
see if, perhaps, the fault might lie there with you and some of your
own attitudes (pride, and so on) instead of somewhere else?

TUESDAY

May
29

Matching
the Laborers With the
Harvest

When people show an interest in learning more about God and
His church, we
must choose carefully the ones who will be given this witnessing task.
In a
multicultural society, we would do well to assign someone of the same
nationality and language as the inquirer and possibly someone of a
similar age
group. Furthermore, we would consider the spiritual maturity, biblical
knowledge, communication skills, and salvation experience of the
worker. In
other words, we should take seriously the matching of the laborer to
those with
whom he or she is working.

When it comes to witnessing and evangelism, there is no such
thing as one
size fits all. There is uniqueness to everyone’s life journey, and
uniqueness to each one’s spiritual journey. However, while this
uniqueness exists, there are also similarities in people’s experiences,
and it makes good sense to match as well as possible the experiences of
the
believer and the seeker.

Read
Acts
6:1–8. What tasks are listed here? What were the results when
specific ministries and abilities were matched?

Notice the progression of these events: the disciples were
made aware of a
pressing problem. The disciples asked the believers to find seven men
to
address the problem. The believers brought their selection to the
disciples.
The disciples appointed them with the laying on of hands. And the
number of
disciples multiplied greatly.

Although Stephen and the other six appointees were to “serve
tables,” the qualification for this task does not seem to be that they
had the ability to organize and distribute food. The believers still
looked for
spirit-filled men because their ministry to the Greek speaking Jewish
widows
would also be a witnessing and evangelism work. Thus, we see that the
newly
appointed men were crucial to the evangelism of the early church in
that they
freed up the frontline evangelists and also actively supported their
work
(see
vs.
8). Again we can affirm that whatever ministry
church members get
involved in will directly or indirectly contribute to, and support,
witnessing
and evangelism endeavors of a church.

Although natural talents, spiritual gifts, and specific
training are
important to a successful church ministry, personal attitudes are,
perhaps,
even more important. Notice that in Acts
16:1–5 and Acts
4:36-37 both Timothy and Barnabas had the attitude of doing
whatever it
took to support this gospel ministry. Barnabas would give of his
personal
means, and Timothy would submit to circumcision so as not to offend
some Jews.
The lessons for us are, indeed, obvious.

WEDNESDAY

May
30

Spiritual
Growth Through Ministry
Involvement

Spiritual growth comes only as we connect with Jesus. It
cannot be produced
by human beings simply performing specific tasks, even witnessing and
evangelism tasks. A church cannot “program” spirituality into its
members. However, it is a great truth that as believers respond to
God’s
call to be disciples, their personal walk with the Lord deepens and
strengthens. Although we should not engage in witnessing and evangelism
solely
in an attempt to grow spiritually, when undertaken with a genuine love
for God
and for the lost, these activities bring numerous spiritual blessings
to all
involved.

Read
John
7:17.
What does this verse tell us about the doing of God’s will and
increased
spiritual growth?

A valid question is, “How can a person seeking truth be sure
when the
genuine has been found?” In verse
17
Jesus presents a truth that will help all who want to follow Him. Those
who are
willing to do God’s will can know if a doctrine is, or is not, of God.
How can this be? Clearly there is spiritual growth through
connectedness. Jesus
is saying that those who are living up to received Bible truth will
receive
greater light.

There is a strong connection between hearing and doing (see
Rev.
1:3). Those who do God’s will, however little of
His will they
know, will be blessed with a deepening Christian relationship which,
coupled
with prayerful Bible study, will lead to greater revelations of truth
and
exciting spiritual growth.

Read
John
4:36.
What are the spiritual wages received as a result of being involved in
the
harvest of souls? What spiritual fellowship is suggested by the sower
and
reaper rejoicing together?

Many commentators suggest that the disciples were reaping
where John the
Baptist and Jesus had sown. The Samaritan woman herself had clearly
planted
some gospel seed among the people of her town. How they must have
rejoiced
together as the ripened spiritual harvest was gathered into the
kingdom.
Success through working together in witnessing and evangelism creates a
bond
between God and us and between us as fellow believers. As we respond to
God’s call to be involved in soul winning, this bond, this spiritual
closeness and growth, blossoms as a natural result of being on God’s
team.

How has your own faith been
strengthened through your own personal witness, both from success and
failures? How does witnessing impact your relationship with the
Lord?

THURSDAY

May 31

Bringing
Harmony Through
Involvement

There is a phenomenon that is sometimes difficult to explain
but can best be
described as “circular influence.” Concerning harmony and
involvement, circular influence goes like this: by getting people
involved you
promote harmony, which in turn encourages people to become involved,
which in
turn promotes harmony. You can see the circular influence principle at
work. It
is clearly demonstrated in the old saying that those who are pulling on
the
oars don’t have time to rock the boat.

There were some key decisions made in the development of the
early
church’s organization that could have caused major conflict, but the
personal preferences of the believers were submitted to what was best
for the
task that their Lord had given them.

Consider
the important appointment process
recorded in Acts
1:15–26. Although we don’t cast lots today, what key points
were they looking for here, and what principles can we take from this
example
for the work of ministry today?

Of course, whenever human beings are working together, there
is the
potential for conflict. We would be right in assuming that the evil one
is
working to undermine the effectiveness of believers. It is only fair,
then,
that we briefly review an incident in the evangelistic ministry of the
early
church where the conflict was real.

Examine
Acts
15:36–40. What caused the difference of opinion between Paul
and
Barnabas? What was the result of their disagreement, and what can we
learn from
it?

On a previous missionary trip John Mark had left Paul and his
other
companions and returned to Jerusalem. It seems that this incident (see
Acts
13:13) made Paul reluctant to take John Mark along
on this current
trip. On the other hand, Barnabas saw that it would benefit both John
Mark and
the missionary venture to take John Mark along. Consequently, while
Paul chose
Silas to accompany him, Barnabas traveled with John Mark.

There was no argument regarding what missionary work should be
done, and,
rather than let personal differences overshadow the evangelistic task,
they
sent out two witnessing groups. Although Paul and John did work
profitably
together again (see 2
Tim.
4:11), their differences at this time were not
allowed to interfere
with their mission.

Think of someone with whom you
might be struggling now in church? How much humility, death to self,
and a willingness to forgive and to turn the other cheek will you need
in order to bring reconciliation?

FRIDAY

June 1

Further
Study: Setting Realistic Ministry Time
Frames

As mentioned in last Friday’s further study section,
twelve months is a good length of time to plan ahead. Depending on what
witnessing and evangelism program you are planning, specific time
frames will vary with different goal strategies and priorities.
However, there are some general points to consider.

Document what you aim to achieve throughout these
next twelve months. Specify desires in terms of people and
discipleship, not just the completion of programs.

Write out a procedural time line. This can be as
detailed as you like, but make sure that it is not too brief. It should
include major training times, program start and finish dates, and set
evaluation times.

As you document major stages of the program, make
sure that you also specify which individuals or teams are responsible
at those times.

Document how your program strategies integrate with
the overall witnessing and evangelism program of the church. Specify
where and how other church strategies will support yours and where
yours will strengthen those of the church. This will help you to
remember both that you are a part of a larger team and the need to work
together.

Seriously consider if your program will be ongoing or
if it will be repeated the next church year. This will help you
determine what ongoing training of recruitment will need to be
undertaken. If your program is a developing ministry, each evaluation
session will also need to have a forward-looking time.

Discussion
Questions:

The following
statements reveal that God has expectations of every believer and that
He has appointed a work for each one. What do you think God expects of
His church regarding the equipment of and the organization of their
involvement in witnessing and soul winning? What can a church do to
help members understand the expectations of God? As you dwell on the
quotes below, ask yourself, How do they apply to you, personally?

“God expects personal
service from everyone to whom He has entrusted a knowledge of the truth
for this time. Not all can go as missionaries to foreign lands, but all
can be home missionaries in their families and neighborhoods.”—Ellen G.
White, Testimonies
for the Church, vol. 9, p. 30.

“To everyone who becomes
a partaker of His grace, the Lord appoints a work for others.
Individually we are to stand in our lot, saying, ‘Here am I; send
me.’”—Ellen G. White, Prophets
and Kings, p. 222.

I N S I D E Story

Our Great
Healer

Elsa
V. Malig-on

Three-year-old
Jenny never missed the morning and evening worships in our village. So
when she didn’t attend one morning, I missed her. “Where is Jenny?” I
asked

“She's
sick, teacher!” one boy answered.

After
worship I went to check on Jenny and found her lying in her family’s
one-room house, writhing with pain. I prayed for her and mixed some
simple herbal medicine for her. Soon Jenny fell asleep.

When
I returned later to check on Jenny, I found several traditional healers
in the family’s home. They were performing sacrifices and rituals to
heal Jenny. I knew that if I tried to stop these false healers I could
be killed. I found Jenny’s mother sitting outside and told her, “We
must pray to God in heaven to heal Jenny. He is the true Healer, the
greatest healer of all.” She stared at me as if to say, You are new
here. You don’t know that we do these rituals every time someone is
sick in the village.

We
prayed for Jenny at school that day. But after school, Jenny's brother
told me, “My father said you must not come to our house today because
you will disturb the healers.” My heart sank. I wanted to help, but I
couldn’t. Lord, I prayed, please help Jenny. If it is Your will, heal
her. Help her parents know that You are the true God.

But
Jenny's condition worsened, and the family took her to the forest to be
closer to the spirits they worship. The healers continued their
sacrifices, and we continued praying for Jenny.

Two
days later as we prepared to welcome the Sabbath, Jenny and her mother
appeared at our door smiling broadly. “We did everything our rituals
decreed, but Jenny didn’t get better,” she said. Finally we prayed to
your God. We promised Him that if He would heal Jenny, we would give
our lives to Him. As soon as we prayed, Jenny’s pain left. The next
morning we awoke to hear Jenny singing the songs that you taught her. I
heard her thanking God for healing her. Then she came to me and asked,
‘Mama, can we go home now? I want to attend worship.’”

Today
Jenny's entire family attends worship in the village church. They plan
to be baptized as soon as possible.

Your
mission offerings help support Adventist colleges and universities
around the world, including Mountain View College in southern
Philippines, which sponsors dozens of student missionaries every year.
Your mission offerings help change lives forever.

Elsa.
Malig-on was a SULADS, a student missionary teacher from Mountain View
College in southern Philippines when she wrote this story.

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